Dodge A Cold By Keeping Your Feet Warm

You know how I’m always telling you to avoid a cold or flu by washing your hand frequently and not rubbing your eyes.  Experts say we can now add some new things to that list to keep us well in winter.  (Thanks now that I already have a cold.)

New research says you can help to keep from getting a cold or flu by keeping your feet warm as having chilly feet increases the risk of catching viruses.  Yes, your bunny slippers are your new best friend.

The director of Cardiff University's Common Cold Center, Dr Ron Eccles, for more than 25 years has been looking at data on the subject and he says that many of us carry cold and flu germs in our noses already without getting sick. However, when our feet get cold our entire body temperature drops and can leave us susceptible to developing a full blown cold or flu.

He explains it this way, “‘Chilling the feet causes the blood vessels in the nose to constrict.' ‘It’s a protective reflex action which slows down the loss of heat from the body, to try to keep you warm. ‘Your skin goes white, the inside of your nose and throat goes white and blood flow to the nose is reduced. ‘The white cells that fight infection are found in the blood, so then there are fewer white cells to fight the virus.’

He added to that, keeping your nose warm is a good idea too saying, “Being cold also slows down the movement of the cilia - hairs in the nose that filter dirt and germs - allowing the virus to get into the body.  U.S. researchers found the germ that commonly causes a cold found it easier to breed at (91°F) – the sort of temperature typically found inside a cold nose – than at the (99°F) found deep inside the body.

Dr Eccles’ literature review, published in the journal Rhinology, came to the same conclusion.

So grab those slippers and woolly socks and keep those pigs and the ole proboscis warm to stay healthy.